It's a new day in Congress, and women business owners enjoy
top billing. In its first hearing of the year, the Senate Committee
on Small Business decided to make women's enterprises a focal
point, marvels Amy Millman, executive director of the National
Women's Business Council. "Almost all the senators [on the
committee] came to this hearing, which never happens, and they were
right on with women business owners," she says. "They
knew the statistics; they talked about women business owners in
their districts and what they'd like to do to promote
women-owned and homebased businesses.

"Three years ago, we couldn't even get the Senate to
hold a hearing on women. [This] was like dying and going to
heaven!"

Entrepreneurial women testified about obstacles in the federal
procurement process, access to capital, self-employment training
and technical assistance for women coming off welfare. They also
noted the Small Business Administration's (SBA) failure to meet
its goal of 5 percent of contracts to women. The SBA's Office
of Women's Business Ownership (OWBO), however, earned nothing
but high praises.

And the committee intends to do more than just listen. "We
are planning to reauthorize [OWBO] for three to five years,"
says Ken Bricker of the Senate Small Business Committee. "And
we feel strongly about making sure women are getting their share of
federal contracts.

"[Committee chair] Sen. Kit Bond is deeply committed to
expanding opportunities for women entrepreneurs. Not to take note
of their increasing power and economic expansion would be
foolish."

"Usually at hearings, people are arguing and upset,"
says Millman. "But these women came in to talk about the good
news, to say they're moving ahead and to ask the government to
start moving with them. The members of Congress were [saying], `We
want to know what we can do to help you more.' And we in the
audience were just thinking, `Finally, somebody is catching
on!' "

A League Of Our Own

In a welcome effort to woo women business owners, Dun &
Bradstreet recently announced the formation of its Minority &
Women-Owned Business Development Group. "We've done a lot
of work in support of minority- and women-owned business but felt
the need to coordinate our efforts, get more focused, and really
have more of an impact," says Ron Wesson, vice president in
charge of the new group.

The first item on the group's agenda is to give
entrepreneurial women access to Dun & Bradstreet's database
free of charge, providing increased visibility among large
suppliers, vendors, customers and partners; the ability to bid on
government contracts set aside for women- and minority-owned
business; and increased access to capital.

"We have a dual mission," says Wesson. "First, we
want to help support the growth and development of these
businesses; second, we want to give them [more] exposure in the
marketplace."

As the group matures, Wesson foresees the possibility of
creating special services targeted to women-owned businesses. In
the meantime, he says, "we continue to have an open dialogue
with [entrepreneurs] and women's organizations, asking them
what they need to be successful."

Happy Campers

Summer camp usually means swimming and campfires. But for a
select group of girls, it means business plans and marketing
presentations. Camp Entrepreneur, sponsored by the National
Education Center for Women in Business (NECWB), teaches girls aged
12 through 17 all aspects of business ownership, from brainstorming
business ideas to making presentations.

"Studies show young women begin losing their self-esteem
around junior high age," says Rebecca Campbell, NECWB's
associate director of education. "We try to show them they can
be anything they want to be."